Council gives green light to Fassaroe plan

THE FASSAROE area of Bray will undergo a major development after Wicklow County Council granted planning permission for a 48.5 hectare mixed used development there despite the senior executive planner initially recommending that the planning should be refused.

Cosgrave Property Group had applied to Wicklow County Council for permission to build a mixed use development at Fassaroe and Monastery comprising of 658 residential units, a neighbour centre complete with food store, six retail units and a cafe.

The residential units would be 390 apartments and 268 houses while the application also sought permission to build a security kiosk, three three storey office blocks, a two storey crèche, a 12 hectare park along with residen- tial public open space.

The application also sought permission for the realignment of part of existing road and provision of new road through the site connecting to Ballyman Road, a new pedestrian / cycle bridge across the N11 connecting to Dargle Road, the diversion and re-routing of electricity lines, the demolition of an existing dwelling at Berryfield Lane, parking and cycling facilities throughout, remediation works for historic landfill locations within the site, ancillary site development, drainage and landscaping works.

An Environmental Impact Statement and Natura Impact Statement were submitted with the application

Forty submissions were received on the application including submissions from Cllr Steven Matthew, Tesco Ireland, Bray Clay Pigeon Club, Roadstone and the Berryfield Lane Residents.

These were summarised in the initial planning report and some of the concerns raised related to the capacity of the local road network from Enniskerry; an increase in traffic movements; the location of the junction; lack of direct access to the Dart; no consideration given to need for additional school or garda station; concerns that the Enniskerry Greenbelt would be lost; concerns over the scale of the three storey units fronting onto Berryfield Lane; loss of wildlife habitats along Berryfield Lane; extra strain on the water supply and poor pedestrian linkage between the development and Bray.

Senior executive planner Edel Bermingham in her planning report dated May 12, 2017, recommended that the planning application be refused.

She said that without a Certificate of Authorisation from the EPA in accordance with the Waste Management (Certification of Unlicensed Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity) the development would ‘contrary to the amenities of future residents and against proper planning and sustainable development’.

She also recommended refusal saying the ‘scale of the retail development proposed as part of this application would be over and above the needs of the residential development currently proposed’ and she said it could ‘impact on existing proximate services centres and would be therefore contrary the overall objectives of the Fassaroe Masterplan and to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area’.

Director of Services Des O’Brien said that ‘it is imperative that the planning authority the increase of housing supply. Obviously this has to be tempered with the requirements of proper planning and sustainable development.

‘To comply with proper planning and sustainable development a number of interventions by a wide variety of state and private bodies are required and many of these interventions will not be at hand at the planning permission stage.

‘Thus the EPA need to approve the remediation plans for the old landfills, the NTA will need to have public transport in place, the TII need to plan for increased capacity in the national routes, telecoms providers roll out bandwidth, the list goes on.

He recommended that certain conditions be attached to the planning permission to address Ms. Bermingham’s concerns.

Ultimately Wicklow County Council granted permission to the Cosgrave Property Group for a revised application subject to 35 conditions.

The 10-year permission was granted for the erection of 706 homes, a mix of 438 apartments and 268 houses, a neighbourhood centre comprising a food store, six retail units, a cafe, security kiosk, three three storey office blocks, a two storey crèche, a 12.1 hectare district park, a kiosk for retail use, residential open space, realignment of part of existing road and provision of new road through the site connecting to Ballyman Road, a new pedestrian/cycle bridge across the N11 connecting to Dargle Road, the diversion and re-routing electricity lines, the demolition of an existing dwelling at Berryfield Lane, parking and cycling facilities throughout, remediation works for historic landfill locations within the site, ancillary site development, drainage and landscaping works.

Some of the conditions are: No development shall commence

until Wicklow County Council has been granted a Certificate of Authorisation in accordance with the Waste Management (Certification of Unlicensed Waste Disposal and Recovery Activity) Regulations 2008 and that no works shall commence on the employment/office park elements of this proposed development until the Bray and Environs Transport Plan to be carried out by the NTA in collaboration with Wicklow County Council and the TII, has been completed;

The conditions also stipulate that no more than 350 residential units shall be occupied prior to the Department of Education and Skills confirming in writing that the construction of a primary school in the Fassaroe area has commenced, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority and no more than 625 residential units shall be occupied prior to the opening of an 8 classroom primary school in the Fassaroe area.

This is to ensure that adequate school provision is made in the immediate environs of the proposed development for primary schoolchildren living in the proposed development in the interests of reducing school related car journeys at peak traffic flow periods.

In addition no more than 350 residential units shall be occupied in advance of the completion and the commencement of operation of the crèche to ensure the provisions of adequate childcare facilities to service the proposed population.

The Neighbourhood centre can’t be started until all residential units in the site outside of it are completed and a phasing programme for the development must be agreed with the council.

Cosgrave Property Group must also pay the council €6,155,624 before the development starts as a contribution to public infrastructure and facilities.

A cash security of €3,015,000 is also required by the council before development commences for the satisfactory completion of the development.

In addition the developers aren’t allowed to start the development until the design of the pedestrian/cycle bridge over the N11 is agreed with the council and no more than 200 units can be occupied until the bridge is in place.

A private bus service must also be provided to connect into the existing public bus services to Dublin City Centre and to Bray Dart Station. This bus service shall be in place from the occupation of the residential units on site until the re-routing of the existing public bus services through the site, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Planning Authority.